The Palm Islands of Dubai

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Transcript of The Palm Islands of Dubai

The Palm Islands of DubaiThe Palm IslandsThe plan to make the palm islands of Dubai was created by the prince of Dubai. He wanted the project to increase tourism to the city. He also said that he wanted the project to be very environmentally friendly.

Although the original idea for the islands to be environmentally safe was filled with nothing but good intentions, the actual construction has proven that the project has had a bad impact on the surrounding environment.Tying it all TogetherThe palm island had been constructed as a place that people could live, weather it be temporary or permanently. The environment that we already had was used to expand our living space and create new areas for people to travel. In making the islands, construction workers had to be mindful of the surrounding wildlife and habitats. Now, the environment must adapt to the changes that were made by the addition of the islands.

I believe that when changing the natural environment we must keep in mind that it was not ours first, and that we are taking the land from the wildlife that has already claimed it. We cannot expect to build or create something new in a place where natural habitats were already thriving, and not expect to make changes to those habitats. However, we need to find a way so that our new creations will have a minimal impact on the surrounding environment. BIG Ideas Original:A.3 Human settlement patterns are affected by the natural environment and also affect the natural environment A.1 We need to develop sustainable communities that function within the limits of our physical environment

Defined:A.3: The way and places that humans settle can change and vary due to the natural environment, and can also change the natural environment A.1: We need to create stable communities that can work together with the surrounding environment.

What's it all About?The palm islands of Dubai were created as a tourist attraction with the original plans for them to be as environmentally safe as possible. However research has proven that this construction and the human settlement that has taken place on these islands has caused many issues in the surrounding environment.Making theIslands“The Palm Islands are artificial islands constructed from sand dredged from the bottom of the Persian Gulf… The sand is sprayed from the dredging ships, which are guided by a Global Positioning System, on to the required area. The process is known as rain bowing because of the rainbow-like arcs produced in the air when the sand is sprayed. The outer edge of each palm's encircling crescent is a large rock breakwater… Each rock was placed individually by a crane, signed off by a diver and given a Global Positioning System coordinate.” from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Islands

As you can tell, large machinery was used in the construction of these islands. When using big machinery there is almost always some type of environmental damage done to the surrounding areaConstruction ConsequencesIn the making of the islands, there have been bad changes in the surrounding environment towards the local wildlife. During construction processes such as rain bowing, sediment began to become stirred up. Because the sediment was mixed up and not in it's natural area, animals and plants began to become suffocated due to a lack of air and sunlight. Because new sand and rocks are being brought in to create the islands, things such as oyster beds and coral reefs are being buried underneath this new sand that was not here before to damage the habitats.Not only did construction of the islands damage habitats, but it also caused naturally beautiful clear waters to become filled with disturbed sand and rock. Construction of island during, "Rain bowing" process Local wildlife injured during constructionSurrounding water becoming sand filled.